The Great Brownie Taste-off by Lisa Maliga

Author:Lisa Maliga [Maliga, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lisa Maliga
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

T

he day before the big event, Yolanda didn’t bring treats to work as she was taking Friday off so she could bake the 400 brownies.

She calculated the number of batches she had to make, and, before sunrise, she was in the kitchen along with her two kitty cat helpers. A morning of baking awaited her.

Yolanda selected her favorite pink flowered apron and as she tied the strings around her waist, the importance of what was at stake made her pause. “I need to bake the best ever brownies, so that I can save the shelter.” She was doing a task she loved and doing it by herself meant that she was honestly taking part in the taste-off. Only her two cat friends were assisting by sleeping on the floor near the living room. After the first batch was done, they got bored and retreated to the sofa. She scored the brownies before cutting them with her pizza cutter, and then set out all the lidded plastic containers that she had in the cupboards. At the event, they would be transferred to the glass-covered pedestal cake stands that her father had made.

Recounting the brownies as she sliced them and put them into the containers, she discovered an extra dozen. In between batches, she breakfasted on a banana and a slice of whole-wheat toast slathered with butter, so she was only mildly hungry as she bit into one of her freshly baked brownies. It was still warm from the oven, and intense buttery chocolate hit her taste buds with an explosion of flavors. The complexity of the imported chocolate was evident.

At first, it was a decent home-baked brownie. But the more she chewed, the textures and flavors flowing in her mouth, the less she wanted to swallow it. She didn’t want to drink milk or water or anything to drive away the intense flavor and the goodliness that pervaded her as she took another bite. As she slowly relished the brownie, she stared at the refrigerator and was pulled into a vision of where she was on the beach. To her left was a pier—Santa Monica? Malibu? She wasn’t sure, but she saw a man wearing navy blue trunks that emphasized his tanned skin and muscular chest. His hair had natural golden highlights. Piercing eyes caught her attention. Behind him, the surf crashed against the shoreline and the seagulls soared overhead. There was no one else on the beach; it was only the two of them, both drawn to each other … their eyes focused on one another.

And then she was standing in her kitchen, looking at the refrigerator. That’s strange, she thought.

Just then, Miss Chef pranced into the kitchen followed by her new brother, Mr. Whisker. Yolanda greeted them, and bent down, stroking their backs. She sat on the floor and leaned over, picking up the tuxedo and kissing her on the top of her head. “I guess you want your lunch now.” She got up and went over to

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